Although a rare human pathogen,
M. morganii has been reported as a cause of urinary tract infections, nosocomial surgical wound infections,
peritonitis,
central nervous system infection,
endophthalmitis,
pneumonia,
chorioamnionitis,
neonatal sepsis,
pyomyositis,
necrotizing fasciitis, and
arthritis. Numerous cases of nosocomial infection have been described, usually as postsurgical wound infections or urinary tract infections. Patients in whom
bacteremia develops are typically
immunocompromised,
diabetic, or elderly, or have at least one serious underlying disease.
M. morganii has been regarded as a normally harmless
opportunistic pathogen, but some strains carry "
antibiotic-resistant plasmids" and have been associated with nosocomial outbreaks of infections. Several reports indicate
M. morganii causes
sepsis,
ecthyma,
endophthalmitis, and
chorioamnionitis, and more commonly urinary tract infections,
soft tissue infections,
septic arthritis,
meningitis, and
bacteremia, in the latter two cases with frequent fatal consequences. In a rare case published in 2003, a patient presented with bilateral necrosis of both upper and lower eyelids. Upon microbial analysis, the areas were shown to have heavy growth of
M. morganii. Patients with
inflammatory bowel disease, a condition associated with the development of
colorectal cancer, often harbor commensal
M. morganii. These bacteria may contribute to intestinal tumorigenesis by producing a family of
genotoxic metabolites, termed indolimines, that can elicit
DNA damage. ==Treatment and antibiotic resistance==